Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Monday 17 June 2019
Zero elephants poached in a year in top Africa wildlife park

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — data from a survey con-
One of Africa's largest ducted in October and not
wildlife preserves is mark- yet published indicated
ing a year without a single that about 4,000 elephants
elephant found killed by are in the reserve.
poachers, which experts Still, a year that appears to
call an extraordinary de- be free of elephant poach-
velopment in an area larg- ing in the sprawling reserve
er than Switzerland where drew exclamations from
thousands of the animals some wildlife experts.
have been slaughtered in "It is a major and very im-
recent years. portant development that
The apparent turnaround poaching has ceased. This
in Niassa reserve in a re- represents a major suc-
mote region of northern cess," George Wittemyer,
Mozambique comes af- who chairs the scientific
ter the introduction of a board for the Kenya-based
rapid intervention police organization Save the El-
force and more assertive ephants, told the AP.
patrolling and response by In this photo supplied by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) elephants drink water at a watering The new rapid intervention
air, according to the New hole near Mbamba Village, in the Niassa game reserve, in an area larger than Switzerland it is one police force is an elite unit
York-based Wildlife Conser- of Africa's largest wildlife preserves in Mozambique, Sept. 26, 2016. that is better-armed than
vation Society, which man- Associated Press the reserve's normal rang-
ages the reserve with Mo- ers and has "a bit of a repu-
zambique's government ber of Niassa's elephants ephants "stand a genuine was May 17, 2018, he said. tation of being quite hard,"
and several other partners. from about 12,000 to little chance for recovery," the Political will is a key reason Bampton said, adding that
Monitoring of the vast re- over 3,600 in 2016, accord- conservation group said. for the success, Bampton no "bad incidents" have
serve with aerial surveys ing to an aerial survey. Anti- "It is a remarkable achieve- said, with Mozambique's been reported in Niassa.
and foot patrols remains poaching strategies from ment," James Bampton, president keen to see Members of the force are
incomplete and relies on 2015 to 2017 reduced the country director with the poaching reduced. empowered to arrest sus-
sampling, however. And number killed but the con- Wildlife Conservation So- Bampton acknowledged pected poachers, put to-
despite the sign of progress, servation group called the ciety, told The Associ- that the low number of re- gether a case within 72
it could take many years rate still far too high. ated Press. He said he dis- maining elephants is also hours and submit it to the
for Niassa's elephant popu- The new interventions, with covered the year free of a factor in the decline in local prosecutor, Bampton
lation to rebuild to its former Mozambican President Fe- poaching deaths while go- poaching. A year ago, he said. "Just being caught
levels even if poaching is lipe Nyusi personally autho- ing through data. estimated that fewer than with a firearm is considered
kept under control. rizing the rapid intervention The last time an elephant in 2,000 elephants remained intent to illegal hunting,"
Aggressive poaching over force, have led partners the Niassa reserve was re- in Niassa, though he now with a maximum prison sen-
the years had cut the num- to hope that Niassa's el- corded killed by a poacher says preliminary analysis of tence of 16 years.q

Washington state waterfront

owners asked to take dead whales

PORT HADLOCK, Wash. (AP) up to 40 feet (12 meters) Columbia beaches. Still,
— At least one Washington long. That's a lot to decay, that's a small fraction of
state waterfront landowner and it could take months. the total number because
has said yes to a request to Landowner Mario Rivera of most sink or wash up in re-
allow dead gray whales to Port Hadlock, Washington, mote areas and are unre-
decompose on their prop- told KING5-TV that the smell corded.
erty. is intermittent and "isn't that NOAA Fisheries late last
So many gray whale car- bad." month declared the die-
casses have washed up "It is really a unique oppor- off an "unusual mortality
In this May 6, 2019 file photo, Duat Mai stands atop a dead this year that the National tunity to have this here on event," and provided addi-
whale at Ocean Beach in San Francisco. Federal officials are Oceanic and Atmospher- the beach and monitor it tional resources to respond
asking waterfront landowners in western Washington to volun- ic Administration Fisheries and see how fast it goes," to the deaths.
teer their properties to be the final resting place for dead gray
whales. says it has run out of places said his wife, Stefanie Wor- "With the unusual mortality
Associated Press to take them. wag. event of these gray whales,
In response, the agency The federal agency said we know more whales will
has asked landowners to that about 30 whales have be coming in, or there is a
volunteer property as a dis- stranded on Washington's high likelihood that more
posal site for the carcasses. coast this year, the most in whales will die within Puget
By doing so, landowners two decades. Sound and out on the
can support the natural On the U.S. West coast, coast," said Port Townsend
process of the marine en- about 70 whales have Marine Science Center Cit-
vironment, and skeletons been found dead this year izen Science Coordinator
left behind can be used for along California, Oregon, Betsy Carlson.
educational purposes, offi- Washington and Alaska, Officials say the gray whale
cials said. the most since 2000. About population remains strong
But the carcasses can be five were found on British at about 27,000.q